VHF Ch16 update

srm

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Am updating notes for a commercial users VHF course and have added the following warning. Have posted this on a 'just in case basis', as many of you are probably already aware of the following:

As from 1 February 2005 the Coastguard watch on Ch 16 has been downgraded from a dedicated headphone watch to a loudspeaker watch.

Ships are no longer obliged to keep a listening watch on Ch 16.

You can not rely on a VHF Ch16 distress being heard if a DSC Alert has not been sent.

Sean
 

pappaecho

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I have recently completed a DSC course, and was told that the downgrade was taking place, but that most of the rest of the world have not upgraded to DSC including most commercial shipping, and hence the switch off of listening watch for ch 16 was premature . In other words most of the commercial and froeign shipping passing down the channel here is still using old VHF, not DSC.
Any coastguard forumites got a view?
 

aluijten

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To me this whole DSC thing sounds like a chicken-egg story, Coastguard will not defer from listening ch 16 because ships don't have DSC. So ships don't buy DSC because coastguard still listens to ch 16.

Given the costs of a DSC unit in relation to other costs, I would say, just go for it and stop listening to ch. 16 and force people to buy DSC to break the circle. This way the whole system is more dangerous because of confusion.

Just my 2 cents.

Arno
 

m1taylor

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I heard that the DSC system is causing the Coastguard more work, not less!

Also...there seem to be no cost effective DSC handheld. So if you're in trouble on a dinghy, you're in trouble!
 

srm

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Yes, Coastguards will continue listening to Ch 16, but only as a background noise over a control room loudspeaker whereas before one person was given the job of listening to Ch 16 only with headphones.

As regards other ships, old habits die hard, but under GMDSS Ch 16 is only for distress and urgency traffic. Calling is either by DSC or Ch13 for passing navigation intentions, so listening watch should be moving to Ch 13.

As far as leisure vessels go its up to you what you choose to do, but informed decisions may be more effective.

Sean
 

Colvic Watson

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[ QUOTE ]
just go for it and stop listening to ch. 16 and force people to buy DSC to break the circle.

[/ QUOTE ]

What a wonderfully responsible attitude /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif! No doubt you have enough money to have changed your VHF, but I sincerely hope you don't have to ask for help on your DSC set, from what I hear there are so many alerts on DSC sets that most people have turned their's off.
 

JonBrooks

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The intention was for all UK coastguard station to stop a dedicated headset watch of ch16 this year.

This would then lead to the IMO no longer requiring vessels to keep a watch on ch16.

It was decided to push this back till 2007 at the earliest.

A number of UK coastguard stop a dedicated headset watch back in Sept 2003. A memo was sent out by the coast guard about this.
It was mainly the watch room that were not very busy.

So the situation is that at the mo.

Regards
 

aluijten

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[ QUOTE ]

What a wonderfully responsible attitude /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif! No doubt you have enough money to have changed your VHF, but I sincerely hope you don't have to ask for help on your DSC set, from what I hear there are so many alerts on DSC sets that most people have turned their's off.

[/ QUOTE ]

So what would be your suggestion then? Do nothing?

Arno
 

fireball

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If the choice was full VHF & DSC (leisure system) or no VHF at all then I think you'd find quite a few would choose no VHF at all.
As it is, I believe you can no longer purchase a fixed VHF without DSC capability (via secondary unit) and most have DSC built in.
IMO the slow phasing in of DSC for leisure users is the only way to go. If TB decreed that every vessel shall have DSC by 2006 there would be uproar (ok a small cry then), so they are bringing it in by stealth.... even so, buy a DSC unit and don't put your MMSI number in and the DSC remains inactive ...

Heck - some ppl don't have GPS ... why force them to have DSC ... complete waste of time!!
 

Colvic Watson

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My suggestion? To encourage everyone to continue listening to ch16 and for those who can afford a new DSC set not to try and force everyone else to buy one as well!
 

aluijten

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[ QUOTE ]
My suggestion? To encourage everyone to continue listening to ch16 and for those who can afford a new DSC set not to try and force everyone else to buy one as well!

[/ QUOTE ]

Fair enough, I'm not really in 'love' with DSC anyway, but if the 'officials responsible for the safety at sea' (at least in some sense) want to make use of a more efficient tool to enable this, I'm not the one telling them I will not use it because I don't want to spend 200 pound on a DSC set.
Either that or discard/reinvent the whole DSC system. At present it's more like a discussion topic on a forum then a safety device.

Arno
 

JonBrooks

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There is no requirement to carry a VHF on a pleasure craft.
I don't think there ever will be.

There for you are not forced to have a DSC radio.

There are still stand alone VHF radio's on the market, not many though.

Regards
 

starboard

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Surely it would be very unwise whilst at sea to stop listening on CH16. This is the international calling channel, what if another vessel close by requires to contact you for whatever reason, you get it all the time here on the Clyde, ferries calling fishing boats, Navy vessels calling yachts etc to enquire as to thier intentions. VHF radio the best safety aid ever.....DSC a load of [oh really!] and definatelly causing more grief to the coastguard than the good old voice only days. I will continue to maintain a listening watch for anyone that may need to talk or relay any problem.

Maybe its because I make a living from talking to aircraft I find i hard to see how an automated system will work any better.

Paul.
 

Graham_Wright

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It seems pretty obvious that the faults with DSC lie with the usage. If the squarker only sounded for distress (and maybe pan-pan) the set would stay on. Then there would need to be another channel dedicated to safety messages and the like.
What happened to 67?
 

Solitaire

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[ QUOTE ]
What happened to 67?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing, it's still there. Small ships safety channel or Coastguard! You can programme into your directory and select channel and make DSC call in normal way. Don't forget that, DSC is only a paging service anyway to divert non essential "traffic" away from Ch16. Distress alerts are sent out on Ch70 (as in fact are all DSC originated calls) and all sets enabled will just be "switched" to Ch16 irrespective of what ch they are on or in fact your own set is tuned too!
 
Not CG but worked pretty closely with them until quite recently.

Your Instructor was giving you his opinion and may not be aware of how the GMDSS has been implemented for the commercial shipping world. On the 1st february 1999 ALL SOLAS Convention (over 300GT) vessels had to be equipped by law and they were. Since that time most other forms of commercial shipping have followed suit including ROROs, Passenger Ferries, Fishing vessels etc.

1st February 1999 was the date that the GMDSS was officially implemented world-wide, Channel 70 took over as the International Distress, Safety and Calling Channel, Channel 16 officially became a Distress and Safety Working channel.

However, the IMO passed a resolution asking commercial shipping to listen to C16 "wherever practicable" in order to allow time for Pleasure Craft to catch up. This does not seem to work very well as the lines decided that they didn't need dedicated Radio Officers anymore.

I hope this helps to clarify.

Mike
 
[ QUOTE ]
IMO the slow phasing in of DSC for leisure users is the only way to go. If TB decreed that every vessel shall have DSC by 2006 there would be uproar (ok a small cry then), so they are bringing it in by stealth.... even so, buy a DSC unit and don't put your MMSI number in and the DSC remains inactive ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Hardly stealth, the GMDSS was implemented in 1999 (after 20 odd years of trials), are you really saying 6 years for it to crawl in is stealthy??

Mike
 
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